Norcheek Blogs

[Nor.Cheek]

29/1/26: An Introduction: Hallo!

Hallo, TNP! You would be absolutely forgiven for not noticing me tucked away in here. I wanted to take a moment to actually introduce myself to the TNP community and explain a bit about who I am and how I tend to engage in spaces like this.

First and foremost, I genuinely appreciate the welcome I have received. I’m a considerably new NationStates player, having founded my first nation back on September 2nd, 2025. I’m not sure this warrants much explanation, but I was quickly sucked into the whirling maw of its terrible entrapments, like a fly to succulent ointment. I’m a bit of an old head (easily unc territory) with a lifelong love of fictional history, fantasy, fringe art, world-building, and character development. I’ve been a nerd my entire life, and I tend to pour all of that collective interest into my nation, Northern Cheek.

I genuinely adore making digital art and writing related to world building. ...or I do it compulsively for some other reason. Either way, I spend an unpragmatic amount of time producing fictional information and articles of interest for my fake nation. And I love it. Born in the game. I will sort out the wasted hours closer to the expiration date. Lol.

Now, please bear with me. I want to explain a bit about the goblin behind the machine.

To be very upfront and transparent, it’s extremely likely that I’ve lived with undiagnosed autism my entire life. I’ve always struggled with social interactions, particularly when it comes to figuring out how relationships form and sustain themselves. That’s not to say I’m not eager to make friends. I’m deeply interested in others and in being part of a community, but I tend to approach interactions cautiously and analytically. I understand this can sometimes make forming friendships more difficult.

Usually, this is me just taking time to understand the space I’m in and figure out how to contribute meaningfully, in a way that doesn’t feel like a waste of anyone else’s energy or effort. If I seem hesitant, disinterested, or as if I am falling behind, I'm probably just spinning my tires while conceptualizing how to engage. It’s not a lack of interest. Social interaction has just never come intuitively to me.

That said, I’m genuinely excited to get involved however I can. My nation, Northern Cheek, has become a passion project, and I'm so proud of the work I've put into it. My hope is to bring the spotlight to the nation rather than the player behind it, and to let it grow and exist within this shared space.

I would like to think I bring a fair amount of art to the scene, as I can’t seem to break my habit of trying to emulate everything I see through digital art programs. I also obsessively write about whatever trivial topic my mind has been soaking in, filtering it into Northern Cheek. I have written about subjects ranging from archaeology to zoology, often inspired by real world news, academic topics, or passing curiosities. I also tend to take Issues and turn them into more fleshed-out news articles, using the game’s mechanics to further develop the story and character of my nation.

In short, I use pretty much everything available to build Northern Cheek.

To wrap this up, I am very happy to be here and grateful for the space. I’m interested in getting involved and helping wherever I can, and I welcome any interactions anyone wants to throw my way. I’m always around to offer a quick pep talk or just to say hallo. I would also love to help with any projects that might need an extra set of hands. If there’s any way I can be useful, please feel free to reach out.

I’m really looking forward to getting to know this space and the people in it over time. Thank you for taking the time to read, and I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

 

[Nor.Cheek]

26/3/26:

Ohh, my friends... I think I ought to take a moment to put down where I’m at, as I’ve run into a bit of a wall across a number of areas of NS.

I’m a bit worn out. As a thirty-four-year-old professional working in education, I try to be honest about that whenever it comes up, as it’s usually a good time to start reflecting on how I’m contributing to my own experiences.

I’ve been on the site since last September, and from the very beginning I’ve tried to approach NationStates fairly intentionally. It never really suited me to just log in and answer Issues. I found the WA early, started working on drafts, and from there just kept venturing into other areas at a pace that I've frankly had to adjust a few times already. I've managed to churn out a gaggle of dispatches, bits of world-building, tried to stay engaged in different areas, produced artwork for other nations, continued building stats, got into collecting cards to some degree, joined the Discord of the regions I've been a part of, tried to partake in any community event that I came across throughout NS; if it’s viable for me, I give it a shot. Most of what I do ends up happening quietly in the backdrop, but I’ve tried to at least stay consistent with it.

Where I’m at now is a bit uncertain. I’m not even sure the modest level of engagement I've been able to offer is sustainable or effective.

Being a place that runs on time and presence, raw effort alone doesn't always seem to turn into something that feels rewarding. Even with the time I’ve been able to put in, it still feels like I’m at an exceptionally early stage in figuring out how to operate on NS in a genuinely connected way.

Obviously, NationStates is a mixed community. There's different ages, expectations, levels of investment, levels of seriousness, etc. and so on. That variety is part of the space, and I do appreciate what it produces. At the same time, I’ve found that I don’t always naturally fit into many parts of it, but I take responsibility for my expectations and how they’ve landed in the larger space of NS.

I don’t mean for this little blog entry to read as pensive, as I’m still fairly interested in being here and contributing however I can manage to. The last couple of days, I’ve been working through ideas for an Issues draft and trying to get a better grasp on that side of things. I’m also considering returning to WA work once things are settled after the restructuring. And I do still enjoy building out Northern Cheek, canonically and statistically. I’m especially looking forward to seeing it appear in the next Cards cycle, so there's still a few bright lanes along the horizon.

I think I simply may need to approach things a little differently again. I’m just not sure yet what a further step back from engagement looks like in the long term but I hope that my work will still equate to something rewarding in the future.

In any case, thank you for reading, friends. Remember to pace yourselves and trust in your abilities out there!

 

[sophia]

v sorry for not writing this earlier, didn’t see until now & was supposed to respond this morning :’)

i jus wanna start by saying how much i understand u. u r one of the most caring & kindhearted people i’ve met on NS & your efforts aren’t unsustainable in the slightest, even if it doesn’t always feel “rewarding” in the way you hoped, it will always something. & wayyy way more than you’re giving yourself credit for.

completely get u feeling worn out, i do hope that eventually you find an aspect of NS that fits best, & if that doesn’t happen, maybe it just wasn’t the initial plans the universe has for u !

you don’t have to figure everything out right now. it’s v much okay to step back, change how you engage & take the pressure off of making it all “work” sometimes things go best when you’re not trying to force it & instead just letting yourself exist in the space in a way that feels natural again !

i’m so so so happy you’re still finding those little jolts of excitement here, i recommend holding onto those. let those be enough for now, without needing everything else to line up perfectly :’)

jus plsss be gentle with yourself through this. you’re allowed to slow down without losing your place & you’re allowed to exist here in a way that feels effective for you.

i’m really happy & proud of u for sharing this. sending you so much love & light for the road ahead, regardless of where it takes u ♡

 

[Nor.Cheek]

v sorry for not writing this earlier, didn’t see until now & was supposed to respond this morning :’)

i jus wanna start by saying how much i understand u. u r one of the most caring & kindhearted people i’ve met on NS & your efforts aren’t unsustainable in the slightest, even if it doesn’t always feel “rewarding” in the way you hoped, it will always something. & wayyy way more than you’re giving yourself credit for.

completely get u feeling worn out, i do hope that eventually you find an aspect of NS that fits best, & if that doesn’t happen, maybe it just wasn’t the initial plans the universe has for u !

you don’t have to figure everything out right now. it’s v much okay to step back, change how you engage & take the pressure off of making it all “work” sometimes things go best when you’re not trying to force it & instead just letting yourself exist in the space in a way that feels natural again !

i’m so so so happy you’re still finding those little jolts of excitement here, i recommend holding onto those. let those be enough for now, without needing everything else to line up perfectly :’)

jus plsss be gentle with yourself through this. you’re allowed to slow down without losing your place & you’re allowed to exist here in a way that feels effective for you.

i’m really happy & proud of u for sharing this. sending you so much love & light for the road ahead, regardless of where it takes u ♡

Oh my goodness! Thank you so much for this. This is a hugely thoughtful message, and I really appreciate you taking the time to send it!

You’re absolutely right, of course and there’s no great shame in slowing down or even admitting things aren’t working out.

I will say, there are a great deal of things I have found rewarding across NS, most notably the people. I’ve had some amazing folks reach out to me, including yourself.

I definitely let some perceived Ls take the wind out of my sails, which is regrettable.

Thank you, Honeymoon. I really appreciate you and your kind words. Good people like you deserve all the best. I hope you have an amazing rest of your day!